GVSU to build $70 million library

Grand Valley State University will build a long-awaited, state-of-the-art library at its Allendale Campus by 2013.

The university board of trustees Friday approved the Mary Idema Pew Library and Information Commons, a project that will include the renovation of the existing library in Allendale estimated to cost $70 million.

By STEPHEN KLOOSTERMAN

Holland Sentinel

By STEPHEN KLOOSTERMAN

Posted Feb. 6, 2010 at 12:01 AM
Updated Feb 6, 2010 at 6:03 AM

By STEPHEN KLOOSTERMAN

Posted Feb. 6, 2010 at 12:01 AM
Updated Feb 6, 2010 at 6:03 AM

Allendale, MI

Grand Valley State University will build a long-awaited, state-of-the-art library at its Allendale Campus by 2013.

The university board of trustees Friday approved the Mary Idema Pew Library and Information Commons, a project that will include the renovation of the existing library in Allendale estimated to cost $70 million.

The library would be funded with private and university funds. College President Thomas Haas said in a college release that the facility would not mean an increase in student tuition.

“It’s been at least seven years that we’ve been in the planning stage,” Haas said.“Now is the right time to do this. ... About 150,000 books will sit on open shelves in the new library, while another 600,000 books will be available from a robotic, automated book retrieval system.”

The 600,000 books will be stacked in bins three to four stories high in 4,000 square feet of space, Van Orsdel said. A crane-like arm will grab the needed bin and take it to the front where an attendant will select the requested book.

“In less than a minute, you can hand it to the person that requested it,” she said.

The new library will be built to a high standard of energy efficiency, meeting the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design’s Platinum standard.

“The biggest thing is energy conservation,” said Scott Veine, project manager for Pioneer Construction, the general manager/contractor for the library construction. “It’s about the systems that we put into the building.”

The current library on the Allendale Campus was built in 1969 for a projected student body of 5,000. Today Grand Valley has 24,400 students.